HIstorical Study about Milk Belief of Gingko Giant Tree

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15K02838
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Japanese history
• Research Institution: Sapporo Gakuin University
• Principal Investigator: KOJIMA KYOKO 札幌学院大学, 人文学部, 教授 (90709289)
• Research Collaborator: MUKAIDE Hiromasa
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: イチョウ / 巨樹 / 信仰 / 乳 / 歴史 / 民俗 / 木霊 / 女性

Outline of Final Research Achievements

A field survey and a historical search were performed about mother’s milk belief to a gingko giant tree of more than 6 m of the trunk round. And confirmation of its reality and the history study which wasn't performed up to now were tried. The belief builds on “chichi “formed into branches and trunk of gingko giant tree, it could be classified into 9 types.
There are no ways to check it scientifically about an age of the tree of a gingko giant tree. I looked for a first record, reason of the planting, location, the change of the belief and the preservation, etc. by a literature search about each gingko. The import from China to Japan of gingko was said to be Muromachi era, but it was also planted older time from the consistency with the knowledge of a research collaboration person, and could suppose “chichi” was formed hundreds of years later, and milk belief started, and to have spread Japan at various routes.

Free Research Field

歴史学